Public Education
by Daemon Wings
Summary: She was the freak. He was the geek. Riley/OC


_**AUTHOR'S NOTE;; **_

_**A little plot bunny. It was going to be Ronnie, but I decided to name this girl something different, since Ronnie's French and all.**_

_**It was also supposed to be every grade from K to 12. But I decided against it, and chose a few major years. Review PLEASE? C'mon people. I'm dying here. It's five extra seconds to type Yay or Nay. So what's the point in NOT reviewing?**_

**KINDERGARTEN ;;**

"Hey, nerdy boy, where are your glasses?"

Feet away sat a pair of thick, black rimmed glasses. They were upside-down on the asphalt of the Washington Capitol Elementary School's kindergarten playground. Children had formed a circle-shaped shield, keeping in a small boy who was on the ground, reaching around for the glasses. His khaki shorts were dirt-covered, a muddy shoe-print on the thigh. A white shirt was half tucked in, half out. His brown hair was ruffled, and tears started down his cheeks.

The children were all laughing. Other boys, lead by a blonde child with the slightest hint of a British accent and dressed in jeans and a blue striped shirt, were shouting at him. A blonde girl, her hair in pig-tails and blue eyes wide, watched the boy get kicked. She laughed.

"What's going on here?" asked a teacher, walking from behind.

"We're playing!" giggled the blonde girl. She smiled, closing her blue eyes, and turning back to the blinded kindergartener. "Having fun, Riley?" she asked. The jeaned blonde boy subtly kicked the brunette, Riley.

" Mmhmm..." the boy mumbled, holding back his tears as he kept searching for his glasses.

"Well, alright then Abigail..." the teacher replied, and walked off. The tormenting began again, people laughing and shouting, kicking and stepping on. Riley stopped trying, and instead curled up, unable to do anything else.

The entire playground seemed to be over now, the circle thicker and thicker with each passing minute. Rumors spread about who was inside the shield of children, why they were inside. Only one child was left on the playground, a brunette kindergartener in Riley's class. She sat on a swing, her head down, kicking lightly and barely swinging. Her brown eyes were closed, and a scowl was on her face. People were no better than animals.

She hated people.

He hated bullies.

-x-

**THIRD GRADE ;;**

"Alright class," announced a teacher, turning off an overhead that had shown the cursive alphabet. She looked to her class. A brunette boy with black glasses sitting front and center. A blonde girl had her hair in a ponytail sat behind him, a pink t-shirt on and was painting her nails. Next to her sat a blonde boy in orange camouflage, eyeing her with a sly grin. In the back row sat another girl, the only girl to sit in the back row. Her brown hair was long and straight as sticks. Kool-Aid had colored her bangs slightly, and her brown eyes outlined in purple. She wore a large black hoodie, thumbholes cut into the sleeves. She was falling asleep. The blonde boy was eyeing the girl. The girl was filing her freshly painted nails. And the brunette boy was taking _notes._

"Riley? You don't have to take notes..." the teacher moaned, before sighing and saying, "Alright. Off to the computer lab."

However, the child's hand moved steadily and firm as the teacher spoke, and then hoped up excitedly. He walked hurriedly towards the door of the classroom.

He waited, first in line, for the rest of the class to line up. The blonde girl, Abigail, walked up in line 16th, with the other blonde child, a boy named Ian. Ian wiggled his fingers on the tip of his nose in Riley's direction, and then walked into line with Abigail. The brunette in back was last in line. Riley leaned outward, looking to see if anyone else was seated in a desk. Brown eyes met blue for a moment.

She blew it off like a fly on her arm.

He shuddered like it was raining poop.

-x-

**SEVENTH GRADE ;;**

"Omigod, how've you been? Yeah, we need to catch up, totally. Myspace me, fer sure!" came a girl's voice, it's tone twisted in a mocking tone. He looked around for the source, seeing a group of five girls standing by the lockers in the middle of the hallway.

One girl had on a black hoodie, and dark blue jeans rolled up just below her knees. Her dark brown hair was long and layered. She wore a pair of black and white checkered Vans. Next to her, stood a girl with shorter, dirty blonde hair. She had on a black Jack Skellington jacket, and a black layered skirt, yellow tights on underneath. Slip on, purple shoes stated "I Love Jack", and she stood laughing with the others. Another girl's hair was black, in a black jacket with a skeletal system printed on it. Her light pants were ripped and her shoes were slip on Vans, a crossword puzzle with the words too small for him to read. Another girl had short brown hair and wore a white shirt, with dark jeans. She was jumping up and down. And the fifth girl had black hair, and was wearing a heavy black snow coat, her dark jeans ripped up as well.

Riley looked at his own outfit, just simple blue jeans and a white and red striped shirt. He had, however, gotten contacts over the summer. No more nerdy glasses. No more nerdy Riley.

The girls all looked to each other, laughing, and began to sing loudly, obnoxiously. "Kick off your stilettos, kick off your stilettos, and fuck me in the back seat! Fuck me in the backseat! You're always falling in disguise, and always quick to compromise, kick off your stilettos, kick off your stilettos, and fuck me in the backseat! Fuck me in the backseat! Fer sure maybe, fer sure not, fer sure eh, fer sure bomb!"

The brunette turned, spotting Riley. Did he follow her? It seemed so. He was in each of her classes, yet he never knew her name.

"We're not falling in love, we're just falling apart..." she whispered, before giving the blonde a hug and walking in his direction.

"Hey," she stated flatly, eyeing him. "No more glasses?" she asked. Riley merely nodded.

"Hello..." he replied.

"You draw your eyebrows with a Sharpie?" she asked, hand on hip. Her brown eyes looked to his blue, but Riley avoided the gaze. It was a cold one, one that shattered.

"I...er...n-"

"No, jkjkjk lololol. I heart your fucking make up, Omigod I love your hair! Is that a new tattoo? Did that piercing fucking hurt? No, jkjkjk lololol!" she said quickly, shocking the boy.

"What?"

"Fer sure maybe, fer not, fer sure eh, fer bomb." The brunette turned and walked back to her friends, laughing hysterically.

So much for no more nerdy Riley.

She enjoyed being contrary.

He was contrary to enjoyment.

-x-

**NINTH GRADE ;;**

Another new school had come so fast. Sitting in the biology lab of the Freshman hallway, in Washington D.C. West High school, Riley Poole lay his head on his arms. The teacher was writing instructions on the board, when a girl in dark tattered jeans and a black hoodie so very familiar to him entered the room. Her brown eyes conveyed her lack of care for her tardiness, and her brown hair, long and straight as sticks. Her bangs were tipped red. He hadn't noticed that before.

"Mr. Poole, would you stand, please?" the teacher asked. Riley obediently stood. The girl shook her head. A snicker was heard, Abigail once again in his class, sitting in the back. The brunette shot a death glare at the blonde woman and walked to Riley, sitting next to him as ordered.

"Alright. You're going to work with a partner on this project, class." A groan was heard. "Yes, well, you already have your partners. The person you are seated with is your partner."

Riley stared wide-eyed at the teacher. "What?!" he exclaimed, half standing. "I have to work with _her?!_ This slack off kid with the maturity of a peanut?!" he continued, outraged.

The brunette grabbed Riley's sleeve and shoved him down into his chair. "Look, Riley. I don't like this either, so suck it up and get to work. The mind is like a hallway. When one door opens, six close. Let's see if we can't work around that. Open these doors at the same time, and we'll finish this project in minutes. You hear me?" Her voice was low, a growling whisper. Riley shoved her off, but nodded and grabbed a pencil.

Another student walked in late, but this one had a pass. The teacher nodded and pointed to the seat next to Ian.

"Class, I almost forgot. Role!" She grabbed a chart and looked at it, reciting names. "Abigail?"

"Here!" came a bubbly, high pitched voice.

"Ben?"

"Here," said the new student.

"Ian?"

"Here," came the British accent of the blonde man.

"Er..there must be a mistake here. This name is just written as 'Ace.'"

"That's correct," stated the brunette seated beside Riley. "The name's Ace. Or Daemon. Either."

"Young lady. I need your birth name!"

"Fine..." the girl grumbled. "Eldwyn Emmelia Diable. Happy?"

"Yes. You are certainly here...Riley?"

"Here," Riley said quietly, looking at the brunette, Eldwyn. "Strange name," he whispered.

"I hope this helps to clarify: I hope you die," Elle told him, looking back to the front of class.

She felt no tolerance.

He felt sorry.

-x-

**ELEVENTH GRADE ;;**

"Omigod, that was so awesome!" Eldwyn laughed, walking out of the Grate Skate at seventeen. Her hair was cut short now, falling just below her shoulders. A group of friends walked out with her, Killian, Emily, Amber, and Eli, whom Riley had seen with her in seventh grade. A boy named Erik, and another Ian (with dark hair, however.) walked out as well, followed by Benjamin Gates, a new friend to Riley. Elle spun a circle in her skates.

"Crash!" she shouted, lifting a leg and skating toward a streetlamp, her extended skate hitting it softly. She fell, laughing.

"Dude, are you high?" asked a passerby. Riley looked to Eldwyn wide eyed. Was she?!

"They call me Crack Head," she said, skating to her group. She grasped Killian's hand, and Riley's, and lifting them in the air. "LEONARDO! YOU SEXY BASTARD!!" she laughed, Amber, Killian, and Emily busting into a fit of hysteria. "Oh my God, I wanna bang you!!" Eldwyn continued, making them laugh harder.

"Situations," Emily started singing, and Killian, and Eldwyn began singing loudly with her. "Are irrelevant now! She loves the way that I tease, I love the way that she breathes. Well I touched her _ooh!_ She touched my _ahh!_ It was the craziest thing, I love the girl's that hate to love because they're just like me!"

Riley's cheek grew red. Her hand was still on his. "Elle..?" Riley whispered, tapping her shoulder. Eldwyn noticed immediately.

"S-sorry..." she whispered, letting go.

She felt an emptiness as soon as the contact was broken.

He felt a shatter that almost killed him.

-x-

**SENIOR GRADUATION ;;**

"Class Valedictorian, Riley Poole!" announced the speaker, and a roar of applause swept the crowd. Riley stood and walked to the podium.

"Er...hey," he started. "For the longest time, it seems, I've been in a little thing called the public school system. I've met so many people, some who I don't particularly care for, and some who I never expected to befriend.

"I started as the nerd who was pushed around the playground, having my glasses knocked off while kids kicked me down. Now I'm the kid people come to for tutoring and advice. I'm the guy people now use for connections. Most people use me to get to a friend of mine, Eldwyn Diable. And I'll admit it- I am jealous. She's a very bouncy, fun loving girl. And she's taught me so much about life. Music is relation. Without sound, there would be no existence. And the mind is a fortress of complicated and ingenious locks, where if you manage to even open one, five more close. But if two people work on it, opening two at once, there is a chance.

"Life is like the mind. In order to succeed we depend on others. We depend on friends." He listened to another roar build, and stepped down from the podium. A tear was in his mother's eye. Eldwyn was clapping the loudest. And Ian and Abigail were speechless. Ben congratulated his best friend, and then the two sat back down.

Two hours later the three stood outside the school, discussing what they planned to do with themselves.

Ben's family was involved in some sort of treasure theory, involving the presidents and a group called the Free Masons. He planned to pursue that treasure.

Riley was more interested in a cubicle job. Some sort of office building would suit him fine, or so he said.

But Eldwyn wasn't so sure about herself. She had so many paths ahead she wanted to take. Music, Psychology, Web Design, Genetics. She sat on a bench and sighed.

"I dunno, guys. What do I do?" she asked, for once not filled with sarcasm or dripping with energy. She looked up to Ben and Riley. Both men shrugged.

"I can't tell you what to do with yourself, Elle," Riley said, sitting next to her. Ben spotted his father, waving goodbye to his friends and running off. Riley looked back to Eldwyn. "But I can tell you I want you to do what makes you happy. As long as you're right by me."

The brunette looked up to the other. Brown eyes met blue head on, the first time since third grade. But instead of looking away, the two slowly inched closer until their lips connected as well.

She thought it was heaven.

He thought it was bliss.


End file.
